Report says war on terror is fuelling al Qaeda

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2007-10-07T232858Z_01_L0379063_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRITAIN-IRAQ-AFGHANISTAN.xml">Report says war on terror is fuelling al Qaeda
Sun Oct 7, 2007 7:28pm ET163
By Kate Kelland

LONDON (Reuters) - Six years after the September 11 attacks in the United States, the "war on terror" is failing and instead fuelling an increase in support for extremist Islamist movements, a British think-tank said on Monday.

A report by the Oxford Research Group (ORG) said a "fundamental re-think is required" if the global terrorist network is to be rendered ineffective.

"If the al Qaeda movement is to be countered, then the roots of its support must be understood and systematically undercut," said Paul Rogers, the report's author and professor of global peace studies at Bradford University in northern England.

"Combined with conventional policing and security measures, al Qaeda can be contained and minimized but this will require a change in policy at every level."

He described the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as a "disastrous mistake" which had helped establish a "most valued jihadist combat training zone" for al Qaeda supporters.

The report -- Alternatives to the War on Terror -- recommended the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq coupled with intensive diplomatic engagement in the region, including with Iran and Syria.


Rest of article at: http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2007-10-07T232858Z_01_L0379063_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRITAIN-IRAQ-AFGHANISTAN.xml

If President Cheny hadn't taken his eye off the ball in Tora Bora there would have been very little left of al Qaida to benefit from anything. And his adventure in Iraq didn't help things any in that respect.